I am Chatterbox

I enjoy listening to music while I'm riding my motorcycle. In order to do so, I have to put my ear buds in and then put my helmet on. Usually this is not a very comfortable way to jam while riding. After riding for awhile the earphones usually fall out of my ears while riding, which is no good.

I recently purchased the most exciting accessory for my motorcycle since I've been riding; the chatterbox xbi2. This small bluetooth device allows me to not only listen to music streamed from my ipod or cell phone via bluetooth, but also allows me to take phone calls and talk on the cell phone while riding.

Listening to music has been great with the chatterbox. There is plenty of sound coming out to keep me entertained even at high speeds. My only complaint is that there is not much of a low end bass sound with the speakers, but with the motorcycle engine going, I don't think I'd be able to hear much of the bass anyway.

I have tested the call feature a couple of times, and it seems to work fine until I reach 60mph. The wind and engine sound seems to be so strong and loud, that it makes it very difficult to communicate successfully while cruising at higher speeds. My friend Matt says that I sound muffled even at lower speeds. I think mostly because the microphone is basically touching my lips, so he can hear the air coming out of my mouth even as I speak. I'm still working on finding a better location for the mic to give me a higher quality phone call; however, the music listening is great and volume control is very easy to do even while wearing gloves.

The Pros of the chatterbox: The sleek look that gives a constant strobe light of red and blue while driving draws a lot of positive, curious attention, which makes me feel like I'm sporting anti-collision lights similar to those found on the wingtips of a jet. The luxury of having music and the option of talking not only on the phone, but to other buddy riders or passengers who use a bluetooth system on their helmet.

The Cons of the chatterbox: lack of a remote control to pause music or switch to the next song, muffle mic sounding on the other end of a phone call. If I had a louder bike, I'd probably have a very difficult time communicating on the phone. Lastly, the lack of low-end sound coming from the speakers.

The chatterbox is somewhat pricey, but I believe that it will come in super handy throughout my riding tenure.

My First Flight

Any kind of flying is exciting, and is a great opportunity to sore like an eagle. My friend and roommate Mike is studying to become a flight instructor. As part of his final test which he will be doing any day, he will need to demonstrate how fly an airplane by giving a lesson. What better way to practice than to give a lesson to a buddy where he can do so comfortably.

This was my first flight lesson and Mikes first time teaching a student. I learned everything from how to run through a preflight checklist, to flying an airplane. We went up in a single engine Piper Arrow airplane with retractable landing gear.

In a lesson, the instructor explains then demonstrates a maneuver while the student observes. Next, the student is asked to do the exact same thing while being coached by the instructor. First off after take-off, we did two touch-and-goes. I was able to land the plane on the second touch-and-go, and on the final landing. I think all of my flight simulator hours on Flight Simulator X paid off, because Mike was very impressed with how well I did. I think flying runs in my blood, since I have a brother, dad and grandpa who fly or flew airplanes.

After practicing a couple landings, we headed out toward West Mountain to practice two maneuvers, which I can't remember the names of. Basically, you find a stationary object on the ground and use it as a reference as you do certain types of turns.

Flying is much more difficult than I had imagined. You have to pay attention to altitude, speed, wind and possible air traffic in the area while flying.
The air vents inside the plane were left wide open, so it ended up being a really cold flight. We didn't know where the vents were, and didn't want to take the time to find them, so we finished the flight nearly cold as popsicles.

My biggest problem while taxing on the ground was wanting to use my hands to turn the airplane using the yoke. I guess that is a common problem with most all new pilots. You have to get use to using your feet to turn the airplane.

Mike did a really good job on his first flight lesson, and will make a great instructor. I'm highly considering changing my career, so I can fly around more often. It's a lot of fun, but I don't know if my wallet would like the idea. Meanwhile, I'll be thinking about how to make it possible.

"The Seven Deadly Sins of Job Seekers"

I recently attended a PRSSA lecture at UVU, where local businessman and PR guru, David Politis, spoke about the seven deadly sins and intertwined them with how those sins are preventing some of the 19 million unemployed Americans from finding work. Politis also revealed 7 steps geared to help communication graduates land a job in this economic distressed economy.

According to Politis, 10 million Americans are unemployed and registered with the gov. and are actively looking for work. 5 million are unemployed, yet not registered while looking for work. 4 million Americans are so frustrated with the economy that they have given up on the search for work. Here are 7 job seeking sins to avoid:

1) LUST- People who belong to this category would be those who are overly passionate, or crave to obtain just one idealistic job. They will likely pass up other great opportunities along the way.

2) GLUTTONY- Doing too much of one thing could get you into trouble, because it will make you "a mile wide, but only an inch deep." For example a student overloading a schedule by taking too many classes to graduate early could lack social skills, due to the fact that they spend all of their college years studying. This also leaves little to no time for other activities and become well rounded.

3) GREED- Money is not evil; however, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Be sure to take the right job and not pass up job offers, because you're waiting for a higher paying offer.

4) SLOTH- Sitting around and playing video games, or doing nothing productive all day. People often become discouraged from searching for jobs, because of FEAR. False Evidence that Appears Real. They flip on the tv and see how bad things are and will believe what they hear.

5/6) WRATH/ENVY- These two sins are combined, because they are closely related. In short, wasted effort. Focus your efforts and maximize your time and energy.

7) PRIDE- There needs to be a balance. Self confidence is great, but don't let it get in the way of your goals. Are you too good? Pride can derail you when you are too confident and don't rely on any outside criticism.

Luckily there is hope for those who may be suffering with any of the deadly sins above. David Politis mentioned 7 helpful skills for public relation students/graduates to posses in order to remain marketable in todays economy.

1) READ- Reading allows you to continually learn and further your knowledge. It doesn't matter if you read newspapers, or novel books. Just read! Don't be static. It's vital to continually be up-to-date with what is happening in the world.

2) CREATE- Create events which you can invite others to. Facebook events if a good way to put together events and publicize the event. Also creating a LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, and Photobuck accounts are useful to have when creating, because it allows you to create and produce your work.

3) WRITE- Write! Writing includes blogging, twittering, and writing posts on your facebook wall. Actively writing shows that you can think. Blogs should be specific and opinion based. Be careful with what you write. Anyone can be googled these days. You don't want negative comments popping up about you that could potentially ruin your personal identity called personal branding.

4) VOLUNTEER- Be involved with the community. Help where needed. This allows you to be active. You could volunteer to write press releases for the American Red Cross. I have been doing a good job with this category. I volunteer weekly as a mediator at the Orem Small Claims court, and I love doing it. This shows that you are actively engaged, which aids your continual education.

5) HAVE A PORTFOLIO- Compile your work and put it together in a folder, or digital folder that can be presentable to a future employer. This folder contains a history of your professional work.

6) INTERNSHIPS- Notice that Internship has become plural. Don't quit after doing just one.

7) ONE-TO-ONE not ONE-TOO-MANY- This refers to person-to-person communication being more effective, rather than always communicating with a group of people at the same time about broadening your potential employment opportunities. The quality over quantity rule applies here.

I think that all of these steps are very useful. It's easy to become distracted from the things that are of real importance. I also think that being aware of "Personal Branding" fits into the overall appearance you're trying to put out there for future employers. People need to be aware of Personal Branding, because it exists whether you want it to or not. Personal branding is a bit like fashion. Whether you know it or not, you've got a unique sense of style that the whole world can see- thanks to the internet. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will be seen. Just be sure to put yourself out there in a positive light with all that you do that involves social media.